How Can Excess Weight Act Upon Your Sex Life?

The only correlation most people consider between obesity and sex is the appearance; fat isn’t always quite so sexy, or so we hear in the media. There is, however, another connection between body fat and sex and that is its effect on sexual health or more specifically, the penis. The effects of obesity on a man’s penis may just astound you and give you some new incentive to change your lifestyle and get moving.

It’s Not Just Your Energy Levels that Suffer

It’s common knowledge that being overweight can result in lowered energy levels and that in turn can wreak havoc on your sex life. Feeling tired and sluggish and dealing with decreased stamina means that having sex because a lot harder, and for some men, impossible. And, it’s worth mentioning that excess belly fat has an even bigger impact on your cardiovascular health so that you’re not only more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, but also far more likely to suffer a heart attack in the years shortly after your erectile dysfunction begins. The link has been studied in more depth recently with many heart patients noting that they had problems with erectile dysfunction leading up to their heart attacks.

It’s In the Vessels

Expanding on that previous point, the reason why obesity impacts a man’s sexual health isn’t only because carrying around extra weight can be tiring, but because it interferes with the blood flow to the heart and the penis. With limited blood flow to the penis, getting an erection becomes more difficult and limited blood flow to other parts, such as your heart, means problems far more serious than an inability to achieve or maintain an erection.

Testosterone Levels

Your testosterone levels play a major role in your sex life by helping you to feel sexual desire in the first place. What you may not know is that when your testosterone levels are low, you are not only at risk of suffering from sexual dysfunction but also depression, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, and more. While lowered testosterone levels can happen for several reasons, one of the more common causes is excess weight. Obesity lowers testosterone levels in men and in turn those lowered testosterone levels can contribute to weight gain causing a vicious and unhealthy circle.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that obesity and erectile dysfunction go hand-in-hand as does obesity and a poor quality of life and health overall. Treating it can, for many men, be as simple as making changes to their lifestyle and diet. Incorporating more activity and healthier food choices into your life is never a bad thing and can mean the difference between a life filled with health and sex problems and a full and fulfilling existence and sex life. Most of the time, you know what you’re doing wrong as far as diet and exercise goes and you can make changes on your own to make things better. If on the other hand you are suffering from erectile dysfunction and extra body fat even though you feel like you’re doing everything right, then low testosterone levels or other health conditions may be to blame. A visit to the doctor for a physical is the right place to start.